[Transcriber's Note: The original text does not observe the normal
convention of placing quotation marks at the beginnings of paragraphs
within a multiple-paragraph quotation. This idiosyncrasy has been
preserved in this e-text.
Archaic spellings have been preserved, but obvious printer errors have
been corrected.
In the untranslated Italian passage in Day 3, Story 10, the original is
missing the accents, which have been added using an Italian edition of
Decameron (Milan: Mursia, 1977) as a guide.
John Payne's translation of _The Decameron_ was originally published
in a private printing for The Villon Society, London, 1886. The
American edition from which this e-text was prepared is undated.]
_The_
_Decameron_
_of_
_Giovanni Boccaccio_
_Translated by_
_John Payne_
[Illustration]
WALTER J. BLACK, INC.
171 Madison Avenue
NEW YORK, N.Y.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
_Contents_